Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing September/October Issue - 9

NEWS
AkzoNobel names
Jeff Jirak as
Director of Powder
Coatings business
As the new director of AkzoNobel's
powder coating business, Jeff Jirak
will be located at the company's North
American regional headquarters in
Nashville, Tenn. For the last three
years, Jirak held the position of
chief commercial officer at Valtris
Specialty Chemicals, and he has more
than 30 years of experience in the
performance materials and specialty
chemicals sector.
He will lead the global strategic
direction of AkzoNobel's innovative
powder coatings portfolio across
a diverse range of end markets,
including architectural, automotive,
industrial, general trade coaters and
functional.
" I'm delighted to be joining such
a diverse business with passionate
colleagues all over the world, " says
Jirak. " It's incredible to see the depth
of technology and sustainability
embedded in our powder coatings
products. The business continues to
invest in growth, our capacity and
developing our talented people. I'm
excited to play a key role in continuing
to bring product innovations to our
customers, as well as exploring new
opportunities. "
Jirak previously held senior
positions at DuPont, Chemours
and Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel
Specialty Chemicals), and specialized
in the strategic growth of highperformance
materials, polymers and
coatings. He will apply this expertise
to help drive innovation, sustainability
and commercial excellence in his new
role.
He succeeds Daniela Vlad, who is
now director of AkzoNobel's industrial
coatings business.
Jeff Jirak
Venjakob North America Inc.
Bolton, Ontario
Andrew Scott | ascott@venjakob.com
Phone: 905 951 9966
www.venjakob-na.com
ven_CFCM_Buyers_Guide_09_2022_117x120mm.indd 1
September/October 2022
9
27.07.22 08:58
Cortec taps Caleb Pheneger as COO
Cortec Corporation recently promoted its director of manufacturing, Caleb Pheneger, to
the position of chief operations officer (COO). In his new role, Pheneger will be extending
his support for projects and operations to Cortec's Canadian subsidiary Bionetix, in
addition to his manufacturing oversight of five Cortec Corporation plants in the United
States.
" Caleb's excellent overall performance is what motivated me to promote him to the
position of COO, " said Boris Miksic, Cortec founder and chief executive officer (CEO). " I
look forward to seeing him lead us to new levels of growth and continual improvement at
Cortec Corporation with his hard work, dedication, and organizational insight. He is one
of the most talented chemical engineers I have worked with during my 50 years in the
specialty chemical industry manufacturing space, with good understanding of chemical
processing, polymer compounding, extrusion, paper-coating technology, and organic
synthesis. "
Pheneger has a Bachelor of Science
degree in Chemical Engineering and
has handled many challenges over
the past decade at Cortec. In 2012, he
started working in Cortec Laboratories
as a Technical Services Engineer and
soon found himself in the position of
production manager at Cortec World
Headquarters in 2014. For the last five
years, he has overseen manufacturing at
all Cortec U.S. plants.
Caleb
Pheneger
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Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing September/October Issue

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